Monday, September 5, 2016

Do you have kids or grand kids that like to keep secrets? A secret, the dictionary reports, is something hidden from view. That’s a good description of the hearts of “good and faithful servants” that Jesus described in Matthew 25. Although motivations of the heart are not always visible, Jesus takes notice and ultimately commends them. Here are 5 “secrets” of good and faithful servants that we trust will be an encouragement to you as you grow in your walk with the Lord.

1. Good and Faithful Servants Maximize God’s Resources. Have you thought about ways you can maximize the financial resources God has given you? For example, did you know you can increase your tax benefit and stretch your giving dollars to the Lord's work when you transfer appreciated assets (such as stocks or mutual funds) directly to your church or a ministry like Brigade rather than donating the proceeds after selling them? If you have owned securities for more than a year, your tax savings are significant because you receive an income tax deduction for the fair-market value (what it's worth today, not what you paid for it). Additionally, you will not pay any capital gain tax upon the transfer.

My Pastor was nearing the end of his sermon. My pen had slowed. But then I heard another nugget that caught my attention,

"God doesn't promise to make all new things.

He promises to make all things new."

It took a moment for my brain to process what he meant ... then it clicked: God doesn't keep starting over, like a boy with a trash can full of wadded paper attempting to make the perfect airplane, rather, God takes the same piece of clay and continues to lovingly mold and shape it, making it more beautiful and useful each day. Where we have come from is important. It's part of the story. But it's a story still unfolding and growing.I couldn't help but see how relevant this is to our ministry. We are an old ministry, but we see how God is continuing to do new things, exciting things, in us.

God is continuing to renew us! So stay tuned this Wednesday for another exciting new announcement!

This must happen if your boys are going to survive

The C.O.
at the Army Ranger school at Fort Benning barked, “Difficult assignments
require a friend. Step one in your training is the assignment of your
‘Ranger Buddy.’ The two of you will stick together. You will never leave
each other. You will walk together, run together, eat together, and
sleep together. You will help each other. You will encourage each other.
And as necessary, you will carry each other.”

The US military understands that in battle nobody fights alone and survives very long.

Walking with Christ is a difficult assignment. Following Christ means engaging in a fierce three-front battle.
A Christ-follower must daily overpower the enemy within, his own sinful
nature. He must resist a world that continually bombards him with
enticements that seek to take captive his heart. He must overcome the
wily temptations of Satan, the evil one. God never intended Christian
men to fight their spiritual battles in isolation.